There are some things that young children shouldn’t have to think about. Political activism is one thing, but sometimes you should leave your child to play and be happy while you go and rally. This is not a child’s concern. Let kids be kids while they can. Sorry.

Oh no…amk certainly shouldn’t have to answer for all of India! He has provided some insight in the past, though….definitely not trying to pin this on him…as we ALL know, we ALL have out share of crazies!

Agree. Crazies and oppression are in every country on every continent. It’s the human race we should be concentrating on “fixing,” that’s for sure! Sadly, it’s not just in America – but that’s sad enough, because 300 million of us call it home!

I’m Indian, and I think AMK should have speak for all Indians not in the U.S. ……….. us Americans disowned him a long time ago! In all seriousness their are many India’s, and remanence or British Imperialism, Maharajah’s, cast systems, nuclear warheads pointed at Pakistan, disputes over land (Kashmir)………and on and on. Societal norms are still stuck in the past…. until recently you would never seen a man & woman kiss in any Bollywood movie.. I don’t know the specifics of this case, but this comes on the heels of many underage girls being gang raped on moving buses, and people looking the other way. AMK could put a lot more context to current India, but it’s not as modernized as one would think.

While I agree that many parts of India, especially in north, are still feudal, kissing in public is not the yardstick to measure liberation. Girls getting education, good jobs and respect they deserve are better yardsticks. We are slowly but surely getting there. You gotta remember our democracy, or what passes for a democracy, is still young.

And unlike USA, our govt policies are very pro-woman when it comes their health, education and jobs. There is even a long-pending bill for reserving 1/3rd of electoral posts to women but the main opposition, being the right wingers they are, along with some feudal parties in north, are the main obstacle in passing it. And unlike US of A, we have had a diminutive woman who told nixon to gfh, as one of our best prime ministers and currently my state’s chief minister is a very bold woman.

Like I was saying….you could contextualize “current” India with way more authority than I… I was just painting a broad brush of what us dingbats here in the states receive as a narrative. The relative *youngness* of India’s democracy is what I was implying w/ the British imperialism…by the time I figured how best to answer the question of why….you had already responded…..but I still stand by the disowning you part! No Visa for you….. cause to much trouble.

Yes, we have our share of sadistic mofos. The only good thing now is as compared to being buried in a local newspaper a few years ago, now thanks to the social media, there is a wider exposure and the indifferent govt, police and judiciary are forced to act. At least in some cases.

“You all can say what you want, I respect the way Obama handles the race issue.

He should indeed be our president first, and our “first black president” second. But there are times when his voice as a black president is called for. Regardless of whether you think the Zimmerman verdict was just, this was one of those times.

Well done, Mr. President.”

I find it so comforting (for want of a better word) that whenever the MSM are most vocal, critical and condemning of the President’s comments/speeches/debates those are the times he resonates most with ‘real people’! :grin::grin: By now you’d think they would give up their screwed analyses, accepting that they haven’t a clue about this President.

I’m not good at explaining, but I’d find it difficult to accept that him being ‘the President who happens to be black’ encompasses who/what this president is. The very fact of his blackness and the resultant path he has traveled forces him to be a nuanced human being. If anything, I’d rather say he is a black man (in America) – with all the baggage that goes with that – who happens to be president.

I think I agree with you vc – the continual attacks from the GOP and the media – are not against his role as President – they are against Barack Obama – the black guy. The birtherism, the deep divide in congress, the “you lie”, the anti health care (John McCain & the dipstick campaigned for health care reform!), the behavior of the supreme court (accepting gay rights, refusing voting rights) – is all against the black guy.

You know, 99ts, a very first pivotal political moment for me occurred in Grant Park during PBO victory speech. It was that moment when he promised to be the president for the ENTIRE US, not just for those who voted for him. (IMO a promise that he has religiously kept BTW.) While it wasn’t said in relation to race, it spoke to me of his realization that despite fragmentation of whatever sort, after campaigns and everything else, the president speaks or should speak for all his ‘subjects’.

“Obama was still a chubby adolescent, just returned from Indonesia and enrolled at the prestigious Punahou School, when he suffered the first such experience. He was one of the kids who played tennis after school, sometimes entering tournaments. One day he and some friends were looking at the draw sheets that had just been posted for a tournament when the tennis pro barked out that Barry shouldn’t touch the board, because his color might rub off.

“He singled him out, and the implication was absolutely clear,” classmate Kristen Caldwell later recalled. “Barry’s hands weren’t grubby, the message was that his darker skin would somehow soil the draw. Those of us standing there were agape, horrified, disbelieving. Barry handled it beautifully, with just the right amount of cold burn without becoming disrespectful. ‘What do you mean by that?’ he asked firmly.”
A few years later, in front of Obama, an assistant basketball coach spoke disparagingly about some players from a different school during a pickup game, using the most volatile racial epithet. When challenged, he said it did not apply to Barry, who was different”

I drove my family to a particular street in our city that was on the designated path and we got in line, holding hands with strangers! Just sent a tweet to Rev. Al about it … if you read the Wiki link, you’ll note it was to include donations to fight poverty and homelessness.

If anybody could get this at least started, it might be Rev. Al – proceeds could go to Trayvon’s Foundation and/or some type of on-the-ground programs that would be uplifting and educational for our youth – children of all races, who could sit down and talk together about killing off racism in their generation. (I’m still as much of a dreamer now that I’m a great grandmother, as I was back in the ’60s! Mostly because we can’t go back there again! We can’t.)

Always good to send to the two Davids, but, for sure, to get something like this moving, folk like Rev Al, Jay Z & Beyonce have all the juice necessary.

My hope is that adept2u’s recommendation of an American ‘Truth & Reconciliation’ endeavor could be among the necessary and sustainable consequences of a nation-scale act of awareness that what you suggest could catalyze.

Alycee – What a treasure! We were right across the river – in Trenton – and I happened to think earlier that I had dragged my mother with us, and she was about the same age then as I am now. I was her “driver” and she’d go anywhere – Ha! Nice memory, all around.

P.S. SEVEN FOOT POSTER??? Wow. And I thought I kept all of my souvenirs, large and small, from … you know … everything! You may have me beat on the “large” point!

My Mom is the same way. She turned 81 last week, I’m blessed that she is still with me and able to get up and go. There’ll be at least 3 generations at next month’s March on Washington.

There were 3 generations of my family on line. My oldest Aunt & Uncle stayed at home, preparing a meal for all of us. I still have my t-shirt, painter’s cap and line captain’s arm band. Best of all, pics of me and the family. Cherised memories.

You’re lucky to have such an adventurous Mom still with you! Mine would “go anywhere” until she was almost 80 and fractured her femur. She lived until she was 84, I thank God for that, and I still miss her every day. My grandkids still talk warmly about her. We are down to four generations, but I’m lucky enough to have one great grandson and one on the way, so how cool is that? Oh, and, my Mom’s sister voted in ’08 when she was 94, for some guy named Barack Obama! I remember the day she called me, saying “I thought you’d want to know.” (Little old white lady born in a tiny town in Western Pennsylvania in 1914, a coal miner’s daughter, voted for President Obama! She was fired up! That makes me smile.) Cherished memories is right!

It’s also that stiff upper lip (and fear of being denied a promotion) that stops many of our U.S. military veterans from getting help to combat PTSD, when they return. The military is working on it, with limited success, because that’s ingrained on a lot of levels (including those who have power over their careers as service men and women).

There is no-one who can deny the truth of these words. I mentioned on twitter yesterday that the really sad part is that Trayvon could have been President Obama, 35 years from now. We’ll never know what he was destined to do and be – he could have cured cancer, been President, been a great father, mentored kids. Who knows.

And that cross point—one person’s rights to drill versus others’ rights to protect their homes, community and water supply is central to every community’s divide over fracking. It’s science’s job to assess benefits versus risks. It’s government’s job to mediate my rights versus yours. When science fails to study, when government fails to monitor, it’s neighbor against neighbor. When millions of dollars spent on ad buys and lobbyists assure that marketing slogans like “energy independence” appear everywhere from Superbowl commercials to State of the Union talking points, then local battles erupt in places like Wayne County. Since 2007, when leasing began in Wayne County, Fox’s once idyllic rural community has been embattled. And so is a nation divided at a crossroads of energy choice and climate change.

But over the last few weeks, that changed for Wayne County. Hess and Newfield, the two major gas companies leasing land there, decided to cancel their leases in Marcellus shale, and move out of Wayne and much of northeastern PA. The companies sent letters stating that they “have elected to release your lease, thus your lease will not be continued to the development phase,” terminating approximately 1,500 leases covering over 100,000 acres of land.

“I can’t believe it and I can’t stop crying,” Fox said, adding that he is deeply grateful for this “amazing victory.” “This proves that people passionate and organized can actually win sometimes. We won’t stop until we win everywhere.”

‘‘In between his personal reflections on what it feels like to be an African-American man, and the history of pain and his strategic plan, there was what I call a very pregnant pause,’’ says Ellison, a theology professor in Atlanta. ‘If I ever have an opportunity to talk to President Obama, I would ask him what was he searching in his soul during that pregnant pause?’’ Obama was wrapped in presidential authority Friday as he talked to a nation rubbed emotionally raw in the week since the man who shot and killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was acquitted in a Florida courtroom. Then, in a move hardly anyone saw coming, Obama unwrapped himself, and put his own young, black face on Martin’s dead, young, black body. This first black president, the guy accused by some of running from his blackness, of trying to address black folks’ needs on the down low, suddenly lifted the veil off his black male identity and showed it to the world. It was something no American president before him could have done.

He had to do it, Obama said, because ‘‘Trayvon Martin could have been me, 35 years ago.’’

It’s way past time to give zero escape to the racists & plutocrat-sponsored bigots that have been attacking him since he announced his candidacy for President. And, that includes no small number of high-profile Democrats, as we know.

THANK YOU, Sabreen. I listened to that all the way through (something I very rarely do with music videos) thinking ‘it’s still so relevant’. I don’t get how we as humans can identify problems, identify what we need to do, and still not have accomplished what we need to 25+ years later.

On a brighter note, I felt proud I recognized quite a few faces, though there were many about whom I hadn’t a clue.

Sabreen, this one is so appropriate from many levels. The history of how this great song came about is so great. I hope my TOD family with research it. It is such richness and highly compassionate in the way the song was conceived. The two great artists, Lionel Richie and Michael Jackson , and of course the great musician, Mr. Q., makes one want to play this song over and over again.

The song inspired me as I was teaching Performing Arts Classes in the middle school during a wonderful time in my career. I taught the history of the song to my performing class and then proceeded to include it in the final 2 hours and 45 minutes evening program in our auditorium on a lovely spring evening. I had a wonderful parent who was from India and her daughter was in my class. The mother was such a beautiful soul. I told her that I wanted to get 60 costumes representing countries from all over the world. She came up with 62. She made all of them.

I chose the children to wear each costume after getting permission from each child’s parents. Not a one refused me. I taught the song to my choir and composed my introduction for the pre-entrance of all sixty students to then enter with “We Are The World” conducted by me. ( We got the legal permission to use the song through channels that one of my school board members got for us to use the song, She had connections in the music world in Hollywood.)

The auditorium was decorated lovely to present the entire theme for the evening. ” An Evening of Music.” Programs, lighting directors,, sound technicians, script writers, music assistants, stage managers, props assistants, stage directors, guestbook designer, ushers, program designer, auditorium decorators, patio/refreshment directors, all were done by my students with my directions and creations,, I had two parents who assisted me. We even had all of the trees leading lit with lovely tea lights leading up to the auditorium’s entrance. w I asked my best friend on campus who was one of the greatest band directors in the state to provide a lovely ‘Chamber Musicians’ (our students) to play beautiful classical music as the guests arrived to the entrance of the auditorium. It was like attending the Music Center downtown L.A., as one school board member commented.

These were 6th, 7th, and 8th graders participating. Beautiful kids. Loved them. We did songs in several languages. I was the choreographer for all of the dances except two which were done by a gifted parent who had twins in my ‘Dancemakers Class.’ Lovely parent. We had so much fun in those rehearsals. Yes, I lovingly yelled; said ‘cut’, and ‘take again’, my students called me, “Miss cut, and Miss Take Again. Really did happen. I smile when I remember those sweet students and parents.

Anyway, the final number was “We Are The World’s Children.” The introduction was played which led into the song, “We Are The World,’ directed by me. All 62 students came down the center aisle dressed in their costumes singing “We Are The World.” And there was not a dry eye in the room, as was told to me by my principal and vice-principal. The students got a standing ovation. All of my school board members and my supt. knew me personally, and were in attendance. To this day, I still have a beautiful relationship with 4 of the 5 board members. All have retired except one. Great song to conclude the program and the children ‘showed up and showed out.’ When I see Mr. Q., (Quincy Jones directing that song, and knowing how it came about, tears just ran down my face tonight,. Oh, to do that with a national young choir of students from all over this nation in DC., would be a sight to behold. Lionel, and Mr. Q., and Harry Belafonte could do it for us. What a dream to have.

Thank you, dear sabreen60!!!!!!!!! (((((((((((((((( So many beautiful thoughts to take in coming to the close of this week))))))))))))))HZ

Are you sure:) Start with the idiot writer from Dumbfuckistan, AZ….and it goes on and on…by the way, this woman that wrote this POS opinion..thinks SP is beautiful and smart and that more women like her should be mama grizzlies and get into politics. Holy Crap.
Just be aware that here in AZ…facts don’t matter.

DF, that is why I am awake this time of the morning. I took a long 4 hr. nap( really half of a full sleep) because I was so exhausted from the week. And after reading an article in one of my magazines, I just had to call on the Lord to have mercy. It was granted in a nap. Now I am up.

DF, I am sipping a little glass of beer(for tummy) and I will surely think of you my beautiful angel. (((((( Relaxing hugs))))))))HZ

I so admire these young people. I hope and pray that their voices will be heard loud and clear, and actions will be accomplished in a very positive manner for all of their efforts and ours collectively all across this nation. HZ